2019-12-29: Celtic 1-2 TheRangers, SP

Trivia

• ‘New Years Day’ match (sort of!)
• Traditional turn of the year match.
• Winter Break now for next few weeks.
• Sevco have the advantage now going into the New Year, Celtic ahead by two points BUT Sevco have a game in hand.
• Last game of the decade, which otherwise has been a very good & successful decade for Celtic.
• Celtic had defeated Sevco a few weeks earlier in the League Cup.
• Minutes Applause for recently deceased Duncan MacKay, sadly some Sevco fans decided to boo when that happened.
• Morelos sent off; he did a throat slitting action to the Celtic fans at the end of the match. Ryan Kent did a mock gun to the head action. Sevco official media claiming racism from Celtic fans (totally untrue), and is being used to divert from Morelos’ action.
• Ryan Christie was rushed to hospital to undergo urgent surgery just hours after Sunday’s  defeat to Rangers. The 24-year-old played through the pain barrier before he was finally replaced by Leigh Griffiths with ten minutes to play. Post match examinations showed up the need for an immediate surgical procedure on his groin.
• Ryan Christie given three-match ban for grabbing Alfredo Morelos’ genitals in the recent Sevco match. Ridiculous & excessive.
• Hillsborough campaigner Phil Scraton refuses OBE. Prof Scraton: “I could not accept an honour tied in name to the ‘British Empire’.
• FAIreland has confirmed that it could face liquidation if its debts are called in.
• Renowned Scottish author and artist Alasdair Gray has died. The 85-year-old was known for novels such as Lanark (1981) and the award-winning Poor Things (1992), which are both set in Glasgow where he was born. His public murals are visible across the city. He also once did a classic Celtic View front cover. RIP
• Ex-Celt David Moyes has been appointed as West Ham manager and will return for a second spell at the club.
• Former Rangers winger Fraser Aird has apologised after being axed by Cove Rangers over the offensive gesture he made towards Celtic fans. The former Canada international was caught on camera making a w****r sign at home supporters following his old club’s victory.
• Jonny Hayes is a reported target for at least four English Championship sides and is free to talk to interested clubs from next month. Reports claim Preston, Middlesbrough, Stoke and Cardiff are all interested in the former Aberdeen man.

Review

Matthew Leslie of Twitter:
I suppose he [Sevco manager] did get a monkey off his back with today’s win. Pressure on him had they not won would have gone up a few notches. Could well stir Celtic into life though – I suspect complacency is now on the Parkhead naughty step.

(clashbhoy of KDS)
Boli is very poor: positioning, challenging and distribution, and shows no sign of improving…£3million?
Brown was immense and prevented an even worse result and also felt Jullien completely thwarted the Colombian bog brush. I don’t see the multi million pound player many hype Ajer up to be? Frimpong has been over-hyped and is not ready for the sort of mature display we required today..Bauer injured?
Christie was abysmal as was Forrest and Johnston, the latter was literally bullied off the ball. Don’t know if this was a personal shortcoming or managerial tactical ineptitude. Felt there was an earlier role for both Ntcham and Rogic and to me this displays Lennon’s inflexibility. Thank God McGregor worked his bars off.
It’s not the end of the world, every dog is guaranteed a day. The major result This month was the LCF as today’s setback will be addressed, however, complacency and lack of vision will make this a far bumpier ride than it needs to be.

Teams

Celtic

• 67 Forster
• 30 Frimpong
• 2 Jullien
• 35 Ajer
• 23 Bolingoli-MbomboBooked at 71mins
• 8 BrownBooked at 38mins
• 42 McGregor
• 49 Forrest· Substituted forNtchamat 68’minutes
• · 17 ChristieBooked at 49mins· Substituted forGriffithsat 81’minutes
• · 19 JohnstonSubstituted forBittonat 68’minutes
• 22 Edouard

Substitutes

• 1Gordon
• 6Bitton
• 9Griffiths
• 13Bauer
• 15Hayes
• 18Rogic
• 21Ntcham

Rangers

• 1McGregor
• 2Tavernier
• 6Goldson
• 19KaticBooked at 33mins
• 31BarisicBooked at 82mins
• 8Jack
• 10Davis· Substituted forEdmundsonat 90+3’minutes
• 18KamaraBooked at 70minsSubstituted forArfieldat 80’minutes
• 17Aribo
• 20MorelosBooked at 90mins +6; red card
  
• 14Kent

Substitutes

• 4Edmundson
• 9Defoe
• 11Ojo
• 13Foderingham
• 15Flanagan
• 21Barker
• 37Arfield

Referee:
Kevin Clancy
Attendance:
58,902

Articles

• Match Report (see end of page below)

Pictures

• Match Pictures

Forum

• Pre-match
• Match
• Post Match

MOTM

• Voting Thread
• Result Thread
• Winner –

Stats

Home Team
Celtic
Away Team
Rangers

Possession
Home57%
Away43%

Shots
Home11
Away9

Shots on Target
Home5
Away5

Corners
Home11
Away7

Fouls
Home17
Away13

Articles

Celtic 1-2 Rangers: Kent and Katic fire Gers to first Old Firm win at Celtic Park since 2010 as title race thrown wide open

Clockwise from main: Kent celebrates his goal; Morelos and Brown tussle; McGregor equalises; Katic wheels away after netting the winner; the Green Brigade and Steven Gerrard at full time
Clockwise from main: Kent celebrates his goal; Morelos and Brown tussle; McGregor equalises; Katic wheels away after netting the winner; the Green Brigade and Steven Gerrard at full time
Stephen Halliday
Email
Published: 14:59
Updated: 16:42 Sunday 29 December 2019
https://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/celtic/celtic-1-2-rangers-kent-and-katic-fire-gers-to-first-old-firm-win-at-celtic-park-since-2010-as-title-race-thrown-wide-open-1-5067815Steven Gerrard oversaw the most telling victory yet in his quest to tilt Scottish football’s balance of power back in Rangers’ favour as his players deservedly claimed their club’s first win at Celtic Park since 2010.

The last Old Firm showdown of the current decade saw goals from Ryan Kent and Nikola Katic, either side of Odsonne Edouard’s equaliser for Celtic, reduce the Scottish champions’ lead at the top of the Premiership to just two points.

Rangers, who also have a game in hand, will now go into the winter break fuelled with conviction that this is the season when they can break their great rivals’ unprecedented domestic dominance.

As ever, there was no shortage of controversy and flashpoints on an afternoon which saw Rangers top scorer Alfredo Morelos sent off in stoppage time.

Celtic were far from their best as they lost a home league fixture to anyone for the first time since May 2018 and could have few complaints as Rangers gained a measure of revenge for their defeat in the League Cup Final between the sides at the start of the month.

Rangers started the contest in the same manner they adopted at Hampden three weeks earlier, looking to play on the front foot and doing so with composure and cohesion.

Celtic were similarly as slow out of the blocks as they were in that cup final, making it an anxious beginning to the afternoon for the home support.

As the visitors dominated possession in the opening half hour, they probed intelligently for a breakthrough with their first opening coming in the ninth minute when Joe Aribo glided clear of Boli Bolingoli down the right. The Nigerian international was unable to pick out Kent’s run into the penalty area with his cross which was safely gathered by Fraser Forster.

A more direct approach from Rangers captain James Tavernier brought Morelos into the action but the striker couldn’t get the long through ball under control and was then penalised and warned for climbing over Scott Brown in his efforts to retrieve it.

Morelos did better with a neat turn and shot as he latched onto another Tavernier pass but it was a relatively comfortable save for Forster.

Celtic appeared hesitant at this stage and were struggling to find any rhythm. Ryan Christie mustered their first attempt at goal in the 19th minute but his 22 yard shot flew well over the target.

Rangers continued to look the likelier side and Forster made a sharp save with his feet to keep out a snapshot from Steven Davis after a Kent corner had caused confusion in the home defence.

Celtic’s best move yet saw them work the ball fluently to Mikey Johnston on the left in the 27th minute and from the winger’s cross, Christie attempted an elaborate flick which cleared Allan McGregor’s crossbar.
Rangers player ratings

It sparked a much better spell for Lennon’s side and Connor Goldson – outstanding throughout at the heart of Gerrard’s defence – had to make a timely interception to prevent Christie getting a shot away after Ryan Jack had lost possession cheaply for Rangers.

Celtic were handed the opportunity to take the lead from the spot in the 33rd minute when Katic foolishly tugged Christopher Jullien’s shirt at a corner. Christie stepped forward to take the kick but saw his effort brilliantly saved by McGregor diving to his left.

Rangers remained under concerted pressure for the first time and Davis had to boot clear off the line after Jullien had risen to meet Christie’s corner with a firm header.

But just as Celtic appeared to be seizing the initiative, it was Rangers who struck first with a well worked and superbly taken goal. A fine move freed Borna Barisic down the left and the full-back’s precise low cross was swept home first time by Kent, his firm shot beating Forster via the inside of his right hand post.

Celtic responded with another sustained spell of possession in the Rangers half and were back on level terms five minutes later. There was more than an element of fortune to the goal, although Rangers’ complaints about it could not mask their slackness on the ball in the build-up to it.

It allowed Callum McGregor to break free and fire in the shot which struck the unwitting Edouard on his left hand, the deflection completely wrong-footing Allan McGregor as the ball nestled in the net.

Gerrard waited at the mouth of the tunnel to speak to referee Clancy at half-time, clearly feeling Celtic’s goal should have been disallowed.

As Rangers resumed on the offensive after the break, Morelos missed a snip of a chance to break his Old Firm scoring duck when he shot over from close range after being picked out by Keny’s cross.

But the visitors were rewarded for their continued progressiveness when they regained the lead in the 56th minute. It came from a disputed corner, Celtic claiming a Rangers player had got the final touch before the ball went out of play.

Regardless of its legitimacy, however, Celtic could only look at themselves for allowing Katic a free header from Barisic’s perfect delivery, leaving Forster helpless.

Celtic roused themselves again, Davis again clearing off the line from Jullien and McGregor making a good save to keep out a Bolingoli shot, but their pursuit of a second equaliser too often lacked fluency or imagination.

Lennon made a double substitution, introducing Nir Bitton and Leigh Griffiths and switching to a 3-5-2 formation in a bid to salvage the situation.

The closest they came to rescuing a point was in stoppage time, Jullien heading wide from a Griffiths corner.

When Morelos wrote the latest page in his impossibly dramatic Rangers story, picking up his second yellow card for simulation under a Jeremie Frimpong challenge just a few minutes after his first caution for a foul on Brown, it was too late for Celtic to take advantage of facing 10 men.

Tempers flared briefly in the technical area, with Rangers coach Michael Beale sent to the stand and confronting Celtic assistant manager John Kennedy before he went up the tunnel.

But the most significant argument of the day had been won by Rangers who now have a powerful voice in the outcome of a compelling title race.

BBC

By Tom English

BBC Scotland at Celtic Park

7 hours ago From the section Scottish Premiership

Katic’s towering front-post header gave Rangers a first victory at Celtic Park in the league since 2010
Nikola Katic’s towering header gave Rangers a first victory at Celtic Park in the league since 2010

Nikola Katic’s towering header won a controversial Old Firm derby for Rangers and cut the gap to Celtic at the top of the Scottish Premiership to two points with a game in hand at the winter break.

Steven Gerrard’s side – who had Alfredo Morelos sent off for diving in stoppage time – went in front at Celtic Park through Ryan Kent, just after Ryan Christie had a penalty saved.

But the lead lasted just six minutes as Callum McGregor’s strike deflected off Odsonne Edouard’s arm to equalise.

Undeterred by the setback, Rangers responded strongly after the break – Morelos scooping over from close range before Katic’s powerful intervention gave them a first league win at Celtic Park for nine years.

As for Neil Lennon’s league leaders, who had won 11 straight Premiership matches, they huffed and puffed in the final 25 minutes to no avail.

Centre-back Christopher Jullien proved their biggest threat and he twice saw headers cleared off the line by Steven Davis.

Gerrard hopes people ‘take notice’ of win
Celtic must be ‘psychologically better’ in derbies
How did the players rate?

‘A seismic day for Gerrard and team’

The statistics coming into this were quite something. Celtic had won 15 in a row at Celtic Park in all competitions and hadn’t lost to a domestic rival in their fortress since Aberdeen beat them in May 2018. Rangers, for their part, were unbeaten on the road in the league all season with eight wins and two draws.

That was the backdrop along with the tumultuous League Cup final last month, a game that saw Celtic play poorly, have a man sent off, concede a penalty and finish the game with just one attempt on goal – and the trophy.

Rangers had not won here since 2010 and whatever was said about ending that run with a victory, they knew they couldn’t afford to lose, not with Celtic already five points clear at the top of the table, albeit having played a game more.

There was more pressure on Rangers, therefore, and they dealt with it wonderfully. They scored a pearler to open proceedings, suffered an injustice with the equaliser and went and won it with that thumping Katic header.

Beating Celtic at Ibrox last season was a sign they were inching closer to their great rivals. Coming to Celtic Park and doing them in their own backyard was a statement of an altogether different kind.
Watch: Gerrard & Rangers celebrate after first win at Celtic Park in nine years

They settled quicker than Celtic. Early on, Lennon was moved to gesture at his own fractious fans to calm down. A little later he sent the same message out to his players, who were wasteful in possession. You couldn’t say Rangers had their rivals under the cosh in those opening minutes, but they had the best of it.

Then, as happens so often in this game, things turned sharply. Having posed little threat, Celtic won a penalty when Katic was done for grabbing a fistful of Jullien’s shirt. Christie stepped up, thumped his effort to McGregor’s left, but the goalkeeper saved magnificently. A missed Rangers penalty at Hampden and now a missed Celtic penalty.

The drama was only starting. Two minutes after the save, Celtic came close to making amends when Jullien’s header had to be hacked off the line by Davis. Three minutes after that, more intrigue.

Morelos, carrying with him some bad memories of this fixture, was a major focus in the preamble, but when Rangers opened the scoring it wasn’t the striker who got it. It was Kent. The midfielder seized on Borna Barisic’s precise delivery from the left and swept a first-time left-foot shot past Fraser Forster at his near post. It was an empathic and sumptuous finish from a player in rich form.

The lead stood for six minutes. That was when the inevitable controversy arrived, Celtic’s equaliser at the heart of it. Ryan Jack gave it away in midfield and Callum McGregor got on the ball, lashed a shot on goal that came off Edouard’s hand and ended up in Rangers’ net. The visitors were incensed but referee Kevin Clancy let the goal stand when he should have ruled it out.
IFAB Laws of the Game
It is an offence if a player: …scores in the opponents’ goal directly from their hand/arm, even if accidental, including by the goalkeeper.

Maybe the sense of injustice propelled Rangers because they started the second half with a hugely threatening air. Morelos, no goal against Celtic in more than 12 hours coming into this, should have scored, but instead he put it over the bar from close range.

Rangers went again. Barisic’s deliveries from corners had been on the money all day and, in the space of a couple of minutes, he almost set up Katic on two occasions. Then, at the third corner, he got his reward, and his second assist, after another brilliant ball landed right on to the head of the centre-half, who nutted an unstoppable effort past Forster. Celtic’s defence was lacking, Kristoffer Ajer losing Katic at the pivotal moment.

There had to be a response from the champions – and there was. Just as in the first half, Jullien headed on goal and just as in the first half, Davis was there to kick it to safety. Boli Bolingoli fired on McGregor soon after but the goalkeeper pulled off another big save.

Rangers saw it out from there. It got a bit sweaty for them at times as Celtic piled forward but the win was deserved.

Of course there had to be sensation at the end – and there was. Morelos, already on a booking, got red-carded for diving blatantly, embarrassingly and needlessly in pursuit of a penalty. Rangers first-team coach Michael Beale was also dismissed in the aftermath.

For Celtic, seeing Morelos walk was just about all the joy they got from the day, a day that belonged to Rangers, a seismic day for Gerrard and his team.
Man of the match – Borna Barisic
Barisic

It could have been McGregor for the penalty save or Davis for the goal-line clearances and midfield excellence, but Barisic was an immense performer, assisting on both goals, crossing to perfection and dealing with Celtic’s wide players with ease. Outstanding.